I was passing collection plates down the pews at my Church last Sunday when I got to the seat of a young woman with three young kids, two older girls and a boy no older than three. The two girls did as expected, placing a dollar each lovingly into the plate. The little boy clung [...]

I parked and went into our bank last Friday to deposit checks. When I came out, the Subaru let me down. All the dash lights came on as normal, but when I turned the key to start all I got was a few clicks from behind the dash. No starter engagement at all. I tried [...]

"Yeah, that sounds great, but let me tell you why it really sucks and what I did was waaaaaaayyyyyy better." Do you have that friend that just can't bring themselves to accept the good that is happening in your life without telling you about the better that is happening in their life? It's mildly aggravating. [...]

As I stepped out of my car and approached the redbox machine to return a DVD, I noticed three things: A shiny black Nissan Sentra - obviously new - with a wax job so good I could see my reflection in the paint. An attractive young lady standing at the movie vending machine making her [...]

....sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do when you don’t have the cash :) - J. Money - This was the reply I got to a comment I left on an article J. Money wrote on his blog Budgets Are Sexy. (He does fantastic stuff, definitely check it out.) He had donated his old [...]

My mother in law had a heart attack last week. At 53. Thank the Lord she's ok, but my goodness......53!!! It just should't be, but it is. This kind of life altering shakeup has a way of focusing your attention. It makes you think about what is really important in this life. Our preacher once [...]

In 2014 I needed a car. I'd been driving a resurrected 1989 Ford Rustbucket since I left my last company in 2013. The Rustbucket was getting me around, but I was working on it constantly. It simply was not reliable enough to be an everyday driver. So began the car buying process. But this time [...]

Never borrow money for a vehicle. Paying cash sets a hard budget - you get a car you can afford. Buy used. Used cars don't depreciate as fast as new cars. Answer these questions: How many miles will you put on it? How long will you own it? Look at models that age with that [...]

I wasn't born poor. I come from a blessed middle class family, and my parents made good money. And they spent it. And borrowed more. And spent more. And never really got control of their money. They're both now retired, both drawing retirement / pension, and seem to be pretty comfortable. But they still have [...]